Latest news with #AmyTan
New York Times
21-04-2025
- New York Times
How to Bird-Watch: A Traveler's Guide
According to a survey from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 96 million Americans are bird-watchers, or 37 percent of the population aged 16 and above. Most observe from home, but 43 million have traveled a mile or more to go birding. Amy Tan, author of the book 'The Backyard Bird Chronicles,' knows why. 'Birds are some of the most magical animals on earth,' Ms. Tan said. 'They fly, they sing crazy beautiful songs, they have amazing navigational systems that feel the magnetic force of the universe and guide themselves by the sun and the moon.' Because birding can be done almost anywhere and requires little gear, it's an easy activity to pick up and a practice suitable to many trips. Here's how to get started. Bird-watching requires observing not just a bird's appearance but its behavior. 'Is it quick, slow, frenetic, soaring or staying in the underbrush?' said Nate Swick, the education and digital content coordinator for the nonprofit American Birding Association and the author of 'The Beginner's Guide to Birding.' 'Those are clues as much as colors and patterns.' Most experts suggest starting in your backyard or neighborhood park and learning the local resident birds to refine your birding skills before you take them on the road. In the digital age, apps have made birding easier than paging through field guides by offering step-by-step processes that narrow down a list of possible birds or identify a bird by its song. The free app Merlin Bird ID from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology does both. Also free, the Audubon Bird Guide app from the nonprofit conservation group uses visual input to identify birds and displays a tally of birds seen. Both apps allow the user to search according to geographical area so they are handy for travelers, and both can be used offline. Binoculars are graded by two sets of numbers, such as 8x30, explained Chris Harbard, the president of the Southwest Wings birding festival in Sierra Vista, Ariz., who has worked as a birding expert for Silversea Cruises. The first number indicates the degree of magnification. As the magnification number gets larger, so does the size of the set, making them harder to carry and hold steady. The second number relates to the diameter in millimeters of the lens at the larger end of the binoculars. The bigger the number, the more light the lens admits, making the image you see brighter and clearer. While mini travel binoculars provide some magnification, Mr. Harbard recommended starting with 8x30 or 8x32, which are not too bulky to pack, though choosing the right set is an individual choice. Good starter binoculars are estimated to run about $200 to $250. Make sure they have rain covers for the eyepieces and look for binoculars that are labeled 'sealed' or 'nitrogen filled,' which prevents moisture from condensing inside the lenses. If birders often look like they could be on safari, there's a reason. 'You don't want to stand out to a bird,' Mr. Harbard said, noting anything bright and light like white or yellow are conspicuous. 'If you are not seen, you will see a lot of birds.' Birders should wear comfortable shoes that allow them to stand or walk for long periods. Make sure they are closed-toed in places like the tropics where your feet can be vulnerable to insect bites. Carry a backpack with a waterproof or warm layer, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray and water. Birding can be part of nearly any journey. Travelers can look up chapters of Audubon to find area events like bird walks or use a website like Birding Pal to find local birders and volunteer guides (annual subscriptions, $10). 'There are opportunities in every state to visit birding hot spots or trails, which are collections of good birding spots,' said Brooke Bateman, the senior director of climate and community science for Audubon. Birding trails such as the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail often present opportunities for convenient road-trip routes. Traveling to witness a migration — such as the warblers that visit northwest Ohio each spring, an event celebrated as the Biggest Week in American Birding festival — can reduce the risk of disappointment inherent in wildlife watching. 'Birding can be like fishing sometimes; you never know exactly what you're going to get and it can be slow,' said Mr. Swick of the A.B.A. 'But migrations are more of a guarantee.' Birding-specific trips offer opportunities to see specific or rare species, from snowy owls in Minnesota to resplendent quetzals in Costa Rica. 'The tropics is where diversity is at,' said Kathi Borgmann, an ornithologist and the communications manager at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, highlighting the band around the Equator. In a place like Mindo, Ecuador, she added, birders might see 50 to 100 species in a day. Birding trips often specify the degree of physical activity required. Naturalist Journeys, a tour company specializing in birding and nature, has trips at 'a birder's pace' and more active ones labeled 'humming along.' Expect an early-to-bed, early-to-rise schedule. On its website, the birding-focused tour company Wings publishes a guideline on what to expect, including possible pre-breakfast birding walks, walking for up to six hours a day and taking a midday break in warmer climates. 'Birding makes anywhere you go special,' said Mr. Swick. 'Like local food, local birds are distinct.'
South China Morning Post
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Explore literary wonders at the HKILF this March
Published: 5:00pm, 21 Feb 2025 Just when you thought you'd get a rest after the recent holiday madness, the Hong Kong International Literary Festival returns from March 1 to 8. Venues across Hong Kong, from the Central Library to Soho House , will host a packed schedule of 68 events, including literary lunches, workshops, family-friendly sessions and spotlights on International Women's Day (with an extended Young Readers Festival schools programme from February 24 to March 7). The Hong Kong International Literary Festival brings together readers of all stripes. Photo: Hong Kong International Literary Festival Having previously hosted literary giants such as Margaret Atwood , Amy Tan, Shehan Karunatilaka, Irvine Welsh and Kevin Kwan, this year the festival welcomes authors and topics as far-reaching as American historian Steven Schwankert discussing his new book, The Six , about Chinese on the Titanic, to British author Paul French fielding century-old intrigue surrounding the main character of his latest historical offering, Her Lotus Year . A marquee attendee will be Alka Joshi, the Indian-American author of the Jaipur trilogy having embarked on her writing career after enrolling in an MFA programme at the age of 51. Joshi will share her inspiring journey and discuss her bestselling debut novel, The Henna Artist (2020). This Reese Witherspoon book club pick transports readers to 1950s Jaipur, where a young woman defies societal expectations to carve out a life for herself. Another big draw is Sydney-based Madeleine Gray, whose debut novel, Green Dot (2023), has garnered much critical acclaim, with The Guardian calling it 'a witty tale of obsessive love'. Gray's contemporary narrative explores the humour, heartbreak and struggles of modern adulthood, navigating complicated relationships and the pursuit of happiness. Bibliophiles are in luck, with panel discussions featuring renowned authors taking place. Photo: Hong Kong International Literary Festival The festival will also welcome Bernardine Evaristo , the first Black woman to win the Booker Prize. Evaristo's 2019 award-winning novel, Girl, Woman, Other , masterfully interconnects 12 lives across generations, examining identity, race and gender in Britain. She's set to discuss her 2021 memoir, Manifesto: On Never Giving Up . Known for her insightful exploration of interpersonal relationships, Japanese author Asako Yuzuki will discuss her true-crime novel Butter (2024), inspired by the real-life case of the 'Konkatsu Killer'. The novel delves into the intricate connection between food, trauma and social expectations, seen through the eyes of a journalist. The festival provides fertile ground for the exchange of books and ideas. Photo: Hong Kong International Literary Festival Local talent will also be featured throughout the festival. In The Girl Who Dreamed: A Hong Kong Memoir of Triumph Against the Odds (2024), Sonia Leung recounts a traumatic incident during her childhood and the journey to rebuilding herself. Festival attendees can sign up for a writing workshop led by Leung. And then there's counterculture legend Benny Chia Chun-heng, dishing all the dirt on what it took to keep the Fringe Festival going all those years, in his memoir, Life on the Fringe (2024).
Los Angeles Times
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
O.C. readers spend Lunar New Year with author Kevin Kwan
Author Kevin Kwan laughed as he shared his mother's concern for the turnout of his special appearance in Orange County, since the event fell on Lunar New Year. 'She said, 'Who is going to come to the O.C. to see you on Lunar New Year?' said the Singaporean-born American novelist. 'Asian parents are a very specific breed, but I was really lucky in that they were always supportive of my crazy schemes.' Thankfully, nearly 340 readers turned out for Kwan's literary event on Jan. 29 at the Norma Hertzog Community Center in Costa Mesa. Presented by OC Public Libraries and partly funded through a grant from the California Department of Aging, the series features keynote speakers, like Kwan, in celebration of literacy. Kwan spoke with local journalist Jennifer Tanaka, took questions from the audience and signed copies of his books, which were made available for sale on site by Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore. Kwan is the author of the international bestselling novel 'Crazy Rich Asians,' which has been translated into 40 languages. The subsequent books in the series, 'China Rich Girlfriend' and 'Rich People Problems,' both went on to be best sellers. The film adaptation of 'Crazy Rich Asians' in 2018 became Hollywood's highest-grossing romantic comedy in more than a decade and is credited with launching the mainstream careers of many actors cast in the production, like Awkwafina. Directed by Jon M. Chu and released theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros., the film was the first major studio project almost entirely cast with performers of Chinese descent in a present-day setting since 'The Joy Luck Club' in 1993. Kwan referenced the 'The Joy Luck Club' and its author, Amy Tan, another Asian American writer, as a source of early inspiration. 'Amy Tan, she is amazing, and she is one of my heroes. Her book was life-changing for me,' said Kwan. 'Reading 'The Joy Luck Club' was one of the most intensely wonderful experiences of my life.' Kwan also maintained that the movie adaption of Tan's book was done at a level he strove for when his bestseller was adapted for the big screen. 'That movie was such a beautiful adaptation of a book and so to me that was the gold standard,' said Kwan. 'She was intensely involved in her movie, in fact she was one of the screenwriters. So watching her, I said I have to do the same thing. If Hollywood studios don't want to involve me, then they are not going to get to do this.' Readers have gravitated to Kwan's storytelling for its insight into modern, albeit lavish, Asian culture, but they have also found themselves pulled in by his knowledge and colorful description of popular foods from Singapore, Malaysia and Hawaii. 'I grew up in Singapore as a child, and I think Singapore is the original foodie country,' said Kwan. 'We literally ate five times a day; breakfast, lunch, high tea, dinner and supper was what my family did, so we were always food obsessed. When I moved to America, that just never ended.' While Kwan writes often about the food he loves, he also writes about food the characters in his books love as a way of informing the reader a bit more about who they are and their tastes. As he read aloud from his latest release, 'Lies and Weddings,' he elicited oohs and ahhs from the audience as he shared a scene in which two characters dine on what they consider a simple lunch. 'Barely two hours later, Arabella found herself at a table on the glorious outdoor terrace of Rosina's rooftop garden suite, alternately sipping champagne and chrysanthemum tea and enjoying a simple lunch of flame blue lobster with caviar, Sichuan-style mapo tofu with minced Iberico pork, lacquered abalone with ginger and butter and lime, lotus roots with seasonal vegetables and golden garlic, braised boneless beef ribs flambe with wine, goji berries and radish in a stone pot and wok-fired rice noodles with wagyu beef and bok choy in a silky egg gravy,' Kwan read. Some readers have been inspired to visit the places Kwan writes about and use his books as a travel guide of sorts. The author's books include scenes at popular restaurants like Din Tai Fung and Tex Drive-In in Hawaii. Even an Orange County restaurant, Nick's in Laguna Beach, gets a shout out. 'I love their French dip sandwich,' said Kwan. 'That was my Laguna Beach discovery and I love it.' Kwan discussed upcoming projects and fielded questions about the anticipated movie sequel to 'Crazy Rich Asians' and another film from his new book series in development. 'The first exciting news is that 'Sex and Vanity' is being made into a film by Sony, so right now we are furiously trying to rework the script and get that finalized, and if all goes well, perhaps it will film this year. There are two amazing actors that are already attached but I can't say who they are.' Kwan also spoke about plans to turn 'Crazy Rich Asians' into a musical with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Chu, who recently helmed the Broadway-musical-turned-Hollywood-blockbuster 'Wicked,' returning as director. 'The other exciting news is the 'Crazy Rich Asians' musical,' Kwan said. 'We have actually been working on it for five years now. A book-to-Broadway adaption takes 10 years, believe it or not.' He also hinted at upcoming plans for both the big and small screen. 'In the meantime, Warner Bros. is also trying to do spinoffs.' At heart Kwan is a writer, and he spoke about his new series that borrows from classic literature with Asian American characters at the center. He offered sage advice for anyone interested in writing a novel. 'Start with a page a day, and in a year you will have a book.' 'A Slice of Literary Orange' series has more keynote speakers lined up throughout the year, including Erika L. Sánchez, author of the New York Times bestseller 'I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter' on Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Clifton C. Miller Community Center in Tustin and national best-selling author ReShonda Tate on Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Norma Hertzog Community Center in Costa Mesa. For more information on other events with 'A Slice of Literary Orange,' visit
